Pressing means for securing sole pieces to welt-type shoes



May 28, 1968 H. R. PADOVANI PRESSING MEANS FOR SECURING SOLE PIECES TO WELT-TYPE SHOES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. BL, 1966 INVENTOR WEI/1?) A. PADOVA/W ATTORNEYS y 8, 1968 H. R. PADOVANI 3,384,912

PRESSING MEANS FOR SECURING SOLE PIECES TO WELT-TYPE SHOES Filed Nov. 21. 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR l/W/if R PADOVA IV/ AT'i'OR E-YS May 28, 1968 H. R. PADOVANI PRESSING MEANS FOR SECURING SOLE PIECES TO WELT-TYPE SHOES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR IVE/YR) R PADfiVA/Y/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,384,912 PRESSENG MEANS FOR SECURING SOLE PlECES T0 WELT-TYPE Si-EOES Henry R. Padovani, Atlmta, Gen, assign-or to The Auto- Soler Company, Atlanta, Ga, a corporation of Georgia Filed Nov. 21, 1966, er. No. 595,731 6 Claims. (Cl. 121) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to shoe repair equipment for use in securing an outer sole piece to a welttype shoe using pressure-sensitive adhesive, and more particularly to a fixture having connected elements presenting a pair of opposed surface portions shaped respectively for supporting the replacement sole piece at a selected area adjacent a portion of its edge and for pressing the corresponding welt portion of the shoe against this sole piece.

In replacing worn soles on welt-type shoes, there is advantage in securing the replacement sole piece with a pressure-sensitive adhesive rather than by stitching, for if stitching is used the shoe repairman has the relatively difficult task of matching the replacement stitching to the pattern of the original welt stitching in order to maintain an acceptable appearance in the repaired shoe, whereas use of a sole securing adhesive allows the appearance of original stitching pattern to be left undisturbed.

To attach a replacement sole with pressuresensitive adhesive, the facing surfaces of the replacement sole piece and the shoe insole are coated with adhesive which is allowed to set, and then the sole piece is generally fixed in its replacement position, usually by the impact of manual hammering at the exposed face of the sole piece with the shoe supported on a jack. Following such general fixing, however, special attention must be given to pressing the replacement sole piece securely in place at the welt of the shoe, so that the entire exposed edge of the welt will be properly unified with the sole replacement when the repair is finished. This welt pressing step has heretofore been commonly performed with hand tools that required particular care to produce an even effect entirely around the welt, especially near the instep where the exposed width of the welt narrows. There have been prior proposals for mechanical welt pressing means, but such proposals have generally involved such complication as not to warrant their cost.

The present invention provides a simple structure capable of applying an even, localized pressure to the welt and sole piece while allowing the operator to manipulate the shoe readily so that this localized pressure can be applied successively along the entire extent of the welt at which the sole piece is to be attached. This welt pressing structure can be embodied in a fixture arranged for use readily with existing fastener inserting machines normally employed for other shoe repair operations so as to adapt such machines for additional use in facilitating the adhesive attachment of replacement soles.

Briefiy described, the present invention comprises a fixture having a support element presenting a first surface portion, and a presser element mounted on the support element and presenting a second surface portion spaced from and opposed to the first surface portion, the mounting of the presser element on the support element being yieldably arranged for allowing the spacing between the opposed surface portions to be varied from an extent substantially exceeding the aggregate thickness of the sole piece and the welt to an extent substantially less than this aggregate thickness, and the first and second surface portions being shaped respectively for supporting the sole piece at a selected area adjacent a portion of its edge and for pressing the corresponding welt portion against the sole piece.

These and other features of the present invention are described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating generally the arrangement of a fastener forming and inserting machine fitted with a welt pressing fixture in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section detail of the lower portion of the machine illustrated in FIG. 1, showing the arrangement by which the welt pressing fixture is initially positioned and operated; and

FIG. 3 is an elevation detail view, partially broken away, illustrating structural arrangement of the Welt pressing fixture in its operating position.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a shoe repair machine 10 of the same general type as that described in U.S. Patent No. 3,241,225, which is normally employed for forming fasteners from a continuous length of wire and inserting the formed fastener in work to be secured, and which is readily converted for welt pressing by the addition of a fixture 12 designed to take advantage of the operating characteristics of the machine 16 for welt pressing operations.

The machine 10 includes an operating head 14 and a fastener forming knife assembly 16 having a nose portion 18 through which formed fasteners are normally inserted in work positioned thereat by a work support assembly 29 on which a workpiece support element would be mounted for fastener inserting operations, but on which, in the illustrated machine, is mounted the aforementioned fixture 12. A conversion plate 22 is also provided for selective disposition in shrouding relation about nose portion 18 when desired during fastener insertion operations, the details of such fastener forming and inserting operations not being pertinent to the description of the present invention, and it being sufiicient for present purposes to recognize that the work support assembly 29 is selectively positionable in relation to the bottom faces of the conversion plate 22 and the shrouded nose portion 18 as will be described in further detail below.

The drive mechanism for actuating the operating head 14 and the work support assembly 20 is similar to that described and claimed in U.S. Patent No. 2,793,364, and includes a motor 24 arranged to drive a shaft 25 causing rotation of a crank plate 28 when a clutch mechanism 3% is engaged through operation from a foot pedal control 32. Crank plate 28 is connected to an operating rod 3 which extends upwardly to the operating head 14, and which is reciprocated by each revolution of crank plate 23 to actuate a fastener forming and inserting operation in the manner described in U.S. Patent No. 2,693,681.

The work support assembly 2t includes a stud 36 secured in an extended shank 38 slidably arranged in a bushing 4-9 and including a rack 42 formed therein for engagement by a pawl 44 carried by bushing 40 whereby the shank 38 is releasably held against downward pressure thereon at any vertically adjusted position. Bushing 40 is slirlably arranged in a fixed sleeve 46 and is biased downwardly by a compression spring 48 acting against a collar flange 50 attached to bushing 40, this bias being directed oppositely with respect to supporting rollers 52 fixed at a forked end of a lifter arm 54 to act upwardly against a lifting washer 56 at the lower end of bushing 40. The lifter arm 5 is pivoted intermediate its ends on rocker shaft 58 and is attached at its other end to a rod 60 having a spring assembly 62 arranged thereon to react with a bracket member 64 fixed to the operating rod 34.

turn downwardly to their initial position under the infiu-- ence of compression spring 48. The upward pressure applied to the bushing 40 and shank 33 as determined by the initial spacing between bracket 64 and spring assembly 62 may be arranged for adjustment, if desired, by providing an eccentric mounting for the rocker shaft with a connected adjusting lever 66 for Setting the eccentric mounting to increase or decrease the extent of reaction of the lifter arm 54 from the operating rod 34 as described further in the previously noted US. Patent No. 2,793,364, the eccentric mounting for the rocker shaft 58 being arranged in a bracket 68 fixed in the lower housing structure of the machine for carrying the lifter arm 54.

The aforementioned welt pressing fixture 12 is illus trated in FIG. 3 in operative position together with a shoe S having a welt W which is to be pressed against a sole piece P. This fixture 12 comprises a support element 72 presenting a first surface portion 74 having a circular shape for supporting the sole piece P at a Selected area thereof adjacent a portion of its edge, and a presser element 76 mounted in support element 72 and presenting a second surface portion 78 also having a circular shape for pressing the corresponding portion of the welt W against the supported sole piece P as the spacing between surface portions 74 and 76 is decreased as will be described in further detail below.

The support element 72 includes a mounting post 86 having a recess 82 at its lower end to receive the stud 36 for mounting the fixture 12 on the work supporting assembly 20, and an axial channel 84 which opens into first surface portion 74 centrally thereof. It should be understood that the stud 36 is provided in the work supporting assembly for mounting appropriate fixtures thereon and that a shoe positioning horn (not shown) might alternatively be mounted in place thereat.

The presser element 76 has an upper end shoulder 86 beneath which an annular pressing member 88 is mounted on its downwardly extending shank portion for free rotation above a retaining snap ring 90, the lower face of the annular pressing member 88 being the aforementioned second surface portion 78. The shank portion of presser element 76 extends downwardly into axial channel 84 of support element 72 whereby the presser element 76 may slide therein with a rectilinear movement that maintains the opposed surface portions 74, 78 in parallel relation during such movement as best illustrated in FIG. 3. The shank portion of presser element 76 is formed with an opening 92 for accommodating a compression spring 94 bottomed in channel 84 whereby the presser element 76 is yieldably mounted in support element 72 for allowing the spacing between opposed surface portions 74, 78 to be varied from an extent substantially exceeding the aggregate thickness of sole piece P and welt W to an extent substantially less than this aggregate thickness.

To maintain the presser element 76 and support e ement 72 assembled, a set screw 96 passes through the wall of the mounting post 80 for retaining disposition at a reduced diameter portion 98 of presser element 76 having a lengthwise extent sufiicient to allow adequate movement of presser element 76 relative to support element 72 while being ultimately limited by the set screw 95.

To begin the welt pressing operation, an operator grasps a handling flange 1&0 attached to work supporting assembly 20 and raises it together with fixture 12 mounted thereon from its FIG. 1 position until the top of presser element 76 abuts the bottom surface of conversion a plate 22 and the pressing surface 84 is forced against the top of a welt W of a shoe S positioned thereat with a shoe piece P generally fixed thereto by adhesive as previously described. The flange 1% is then released to allow retaining en agement of pawl 44 with rack 42 which i will keep the surfaces 74, 78 closely spaced on the aggregate thickness of welt W and sole piece P but leave the same free enough to be moved horizontally therebetween.

It should be noted here that the annular pressing member.

88 is tapered toward its outer edge so as to press the full exposed width of the welt W while clearing the body of the shoe S as seen in FIG. 3.

With the welt W and sole piece P interposed between opposed surface portions 74, 78 in this manner, the operator should adjust the fastener length setting of machine 19 to zero so that no fasteners will be formed or dispensed at nose portion 18 and then hold foot pedal 32 for coni tinned actuation of work supporting assembly 20 so as to exert repetitive closing pressure through fixture 12 at the opposed surface portions '74, 78 on the interposed sole piece P and welt W. As this repetitive closing pressure is released during each recovery stroke of the'operating rod 34, the shoe S is freed, as previously mentionedso that the operator may move it to subject the welt W and sole piece P to the closing pressure in stepwise fashion, the free rotational mounting of the annular pressing member 88 facilitating this stepwise manipulation of the shoe S.

Against the possibility of inadvertent failure to. adjust the fastener length setting to zero as mentioned above, the shank element 92 is preferably provided with a recess 102 of fastener clearing depth atthe portion thereof which is disposed for abutting relation at nose portion 18 to receive harmlessiy any fasteners unintentionally formed and ejected while the fixture 12 is in use.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fixture for use in securing an'outer sole piece on a welt-type shoe with pressure sensitive adhesive, said fixture comprising a support element presenting a first surface portion, and a presser element mounted on said support element and presenting a second surface portion spaced from and opposed to said first surface portion,

said presser element being slidably mounted for rectilinear movement on said support element to maintain said onposed surface portions in parallel relation during such movement and also being yieldably arranged on said support element for allowing the spacing between said op posed surface portions to be varied from an extent substantially exceeding the aggregate thickness of said sole piece and the welt of said shoe to an extent substantially less than said aggregate thickness, and said surface portions being shaped respectively for supporting said sole piece at a selected area adjacent a portion of its edge and for pressing the corresponding welt portion against said sole piece.

2. A fixture as defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that said presser element is shaped to present said second surface portion for pressing the full exposed width of the corresponding welt portion while clearing the body of said shoe.

3. The fixture as defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that said support element includes a mounting post extending perpendicularly from said first surface portion and having an axial channel formed therein which opens into said first surface portion centrally thereof, in that said presser element includes a shank portion slidably extending into said channel and an annular pressing member mounted for free rotation on said shank portion and presenting said second surface portion oppositely with respect to said first surface portion.

4. Means for use in securing an outer sole piece on a welt-type shoe with pressure sensitive adhesive comprising a fixture having a support element presenting a first surface portion, and a presser element mounted on said support element and presenting a second surface portion spaced from and opposed to said first surface portion, the mounting of said presser element on said support element being yieldably arranged for allowing the spacing between said opposed surface portions to be varied from an extent substantially exceeding the aggregate thickness of said sole piece and the welt of said shoe to an extent substantially less than said aggregate thickness, and said surface portions being respectively shaped for supporting said sole piece at a selected area adjacent a portion of its edge and for pressing the corresponding welt portion against said sole piece, said fixture being arranged together with means for carrying said support element, means for initially positioning said yieldably mounted presser element from an inactive position to an active position spacing said opposed surface portions closely on a sole piece and welt portion interposed therebetween, and means for causing a repetitive closing of said surface portions under pressure on said interposed sole piece and Welt portion.

5. In a shoe repair machine having a stationary member against which a supported workpiece may be held to receive formed fasteners thereat, and reciprocating means selectively positionable with respect to said stationary member for normally holding said supported workpiece against said stationary member, the improvement comprising a fixture to adapt said machine for use in securing an outer sole piece on a welt-type shoe with pressure sensitive adhesive, said fixture including a support element mounted on said reciprocating means and presenting a first surface portion, and a presser element mounted on said support element so as to be disposable in abutting relation with said stationary member by selective positioning of said reciprocating means and presenting a second surface portion spaced from and opposed to said first surface portion, the mounting of said presser element on said support element being yieldably arranged for allowing the spacing between said opposed surface portions to be varied by operation of said reciprocating means from an extent substantially exceeding the aggregate thickness of said sole piece and the welt of said shoe to an extent substantially less than said aggregate thickness, and said surface portions being respectively shaped for supporting said sole piece at a selected area adjacent a portion of its edge and for pressing the corresponding welt portion against said sole piece.

6. In a shoe repair machine of the character described, the improvement defined in claim 5 and further characterized in that said presser element is recessed to fastener clearing extent at the portion thereof which is disposed for abutting relation with the area of said stationary memher at which fasteners are normally received by said supported workpiece.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 606,1176 6/1898 Moore et al 12-33.4 1,381,297 6/1921 tFurber 1233.4

FOREIGN PATENTS 231,486 3/ 1944 Switzerland.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

